The use of wire management in modular furniture components in an office environment provides routing of power and other cabling to various electrical appliances in the office space to permit thereby efficient use of that space. However, the installation and maintenance requirements of wire management systems have posed practical difficulties. Principle among these difficulties is the interconnection of various electrical components in order to meet the demands of the office space, while at the same time effectively concealing the wiring and electrical apparatus from view. With the widespread use of data storage and other electrical equipment, it is also important to employ some type of electrical current surge protection to prevent damage to or even destruction of the electrical equipment. Accordingly, an electrical power strip or other electrical appliance having a plurality of receptacles connected through surge protection to a power source are typically utilized. These appliances, however, are somewhat unattractive and awkward if exposed in the office space. In addition, they consume considerable real estate and can encumber presented surfaces.
It is also desirable to provide some degree of flexibility in the wire management system such that wiring may be easily rerouted in the office space to meet the changing needs of users. The wiring should also be routed in such a manner to avoid clutter. It is therefore important to have ready access to the electrical appliance as well as ease of installation of the appliance within the wire management system.
Heretofore, wire management systems have typically comprised prefabricated wiring channels or troughs formed along the length-wise dimension of a desk unit beneath the desk top surface. These channels provide a location through which the wiring is manually routed. Such channels often include a removable or hinged top cover to permit access to the wiring or receptacles and the like in the wiring trough. Such systems provide adequate concealment of the wiring when installed, however, because of the size of the channel, they do not generally account for placement of surge protection or similar sized electrical appliances within the channels. In addition, not only do these arrangements present an opening in the top center of the disk unit, but the wiring channels traverse the knee space of the desk unit as well, thereby interfering with the work space.